Legislative Bulletin

 

 

 Hello y'all,

The National Immigration Forum's Legislative Bulletin for Friday,
September 8, 2023, is now posted.

You can find the online version of the bulletin here: h
<[link removed]'s weekly bulletin! Every Friday, our policy
team rounds up key developments around immigration policy in Washington
and across the country. The bulletin includes items on the legislative,
executive, and judicial branches, as well as some coverage at the state
and local levels. 

Here's a breakdown of the bulletin's sections:

DEVELOPMENTS IN IMMIGRATION THIS WEEK <#Themes-In-Washington-This-week>

BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED <#bills-introduced-and-considered>

LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR <#legislative-floor-calendar>

UPCOMING HEARINGS AND MARKUPS <#upcoming-hearings-and-markups>

GOVERNMENT REPORTS <#government-reports>

SPOTLIGHT ON NATIONAL IMMIGRATION FORUM RESOURCES
<#spotlight-on-national-immigration-forum-resources>

**DEVELOPMENTS IN IMMIGRATION THIS WEEK**Immigration policy is a dynamic
field subject to constant change. Here, we summarize some of the most
important recent developments in immigration policy on the federal,
legal, state, and local levels. 

Content warning: This section sometimes includes events and information
that can prove disturbing. 

****Federal****

**Reports: Migrant Families Crossing U.S.-Mexico Border Set New Record
in August **In August 2023, a record number of migrant families
reportedly crossed the United States-Mexico border unauthorized, an
emerging trend that could potentially compromise the Biden
administration's ability to manage irregular migration ahead of an
election year. 

The U.S. Border Patrol apprehended around 91,000 migrants in family
units last month, surpassing the previous monthly record of 84,486 under
the Trump administration in May 2019, according to reports from the
Washington Post
<[link removed]'s tenure in the Oval Office.

Since May, removal flights have repatriated over 17,000 recently arrived
members of families, including children. Meanwhile, a relatively new
enforcement effort targeting families for fast-track deportations, the
Family Expedited Removal Management program (FERM), has started placing
some asylum seekers under GPS monitoring and curfews while they undergo
initial protection screenings.

 But only about 80 parents and children have been deported under FERM
so far, according to CBS News
<[link removed]"But as with every year, the U.S. is seeing ebbs and flows of migrants
arriving fueled by seasonal trends and the efforts of smugglers to use
disinformation to prey on vulnerable migrants and encourage migration,"
Heeter said in a statement.  

Although seasonal migration does ebb and flow, until recently, the
number of people migrating tended to taper off
<[link removed]'s  hottest months over the summer. Yet as migrants
and asylum seekers - including families - increasingly
weatherextreme heat
<[link removed]"ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions in
South Sudan." The extension will make it possible for around 133 current
South Sudanese beneficiaries to retain TPS through May 2025, so long as
they continue to meet eligibility requirements, while the redesignation
could let an estimated 140 more people access the protection.

DHS already announced the extension and redesignation of TPS for Sudan
<[link removed]'s President Chaves to Discuss
Migration, Other Issues**On August 29, President Joe Bidenmet
<[link removed]'slargest recipients
<[link removed]'s willingness to allow the operation
ofSafe Mobility Offices
<[link removed]"Costa Rica has been
and shall remain one of the strongest allies in the world regarding the
economic and security interests" of the U.S.

****Legal ****

**Appeals Court Allows Texas to Keep Its Floating Barriers in the Rio
Grande**On September 7, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
<[link removed]'s use
of bright orange buoys to deter migration across the international
river, Judge David A. Ezra issued a preliminary injunction
<[link removed]"Governor [Greg] Abbott announced that he was not 'asking for
permission' for Operation Lone Star, the anti-immigration program
under which Texas constructed the floating barrier. Unfortunately for
Texas, permission is exactly what federal law requires before installing
obstructions in the nation's navigable waters," Ezra wrote in his
decision. 

In response, Abbott's office called the ruling
<[link removed]"incorrect" and predicted it would be "overturned on appeal." The Fifth
Circuit granted Texas's motion to stay Ezra's order on Thursday,
allowing the controversial buoys to remain in place for the time being.

****State and Local ****

**Biden Administration Reminds Eligible Noncitizens to Apply for Work
Permits as Tensions Rise with New York Leaders **The United States
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has sent hundreds of
thousands of emails and text messages to migrants and asylum seekers who
are eligible for work authorization, in a new national information
campaign
<[link removed]"paroled" into the
U.S., which gives them the right to live stateside and work legally for
the short-term. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has contacted
Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, and Ukrainians who came to
the U.S. through the administration's new parole processes, as well as
migrants who entered the country after making an appointment through the
CBP One phone app and asylum seekers who already have pending
applications for protection. 

The new work permit-focused messaging is part of the White House's
answer to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who met with Biden
administration officials last week about how the federal government
could better support her state's response to the more than 100,000
newcomers who have arrived in New York City since spring 2022
<[link removed]"There are labor shortages in many U.S. industries, where employers are
prepared to offer training and jobs to individuals who are authorized to
work in the United States," they wrote in a letter
<[link removed]"The city we knew, we're about to lose," Adams said, according to the
Intelligencer
<[link removed]"Let me tell you something, New Yorkers. Never in my life have I had a
problem that I did not see an ending to. I don't see an ending to
this. This issue will destroy New York City."

More than a third
<[link removed]'s population of over 8 million were foreign born
between 2017-2021, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, a
testament to its history of and reliance on immigrants long before the
most recent newcomers started arriving.

**BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED**It can be challenging to keep up with
the constant barrage of proposed legislation in Congress. So, every
week, we round up new bills. This list includes federal legislative
proposals that have recently been introduced and that are relevant to
immigration policy. 

Please follow this link
<[link removed]'s Potential: How Immigration Fuels Economic Growth
and Our Competitive Advantage**
<[link removed]'s Open Border on the American Workforce**
<[link removed]'s Office of Inspector General provide
invaluable information on immigration policy and practice. Here, we give
brief summaries of new immigration-related reports, with links to the
resources themselves in case you want to learn more. 

**Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General
(OIG);****CBP Could Do More to Plan for Facilities Along the Southwest
Border**
<[link removed]'s (CBP) ability to respond to
increases in migration in recent years, while also acknowledging that
"CBP prioritized short-term response over long-term planning and does
not have a comprehensive policy that incorporates planning for both
temporary and permanent facilities."

**Congressional Research Service (CRS);****The Statutory Bars to Reentry
into the United States** <[link removed]"to identify
opportunities for joint solutions and help use resources efficiently."

**Congressional Research Service (CRS);****Migrant Assistance Through
the FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP)**
<[link removed]'s (FEMA) financial support for
migrant-related humanitarian relief efforts, in the context of current
migration patterns and policy at the U.S.-Mexico border.

**Congressional Research Service (CRS);****Comparing DHS Component
Funding, FY2024: In Brief** <[link removed]'s purpose, before delving
deeper into its work with unaccompanied children.  

**Q&A: What to Know About the Biden Administration's New Asylum
Restrictions**
<[link removed]"Circumvention of Lawful Pathways"
rule, the Biden administration's post-Title 42 asylum restrictions.

**CBP One: Fact Sheet and Resources Directory**
<[link removed]'s key features, its significance for asylum seekers, and
its shortcomings.

* * *

*This Bulletin is not intended to be comprehensive. Please contact
Alexandra Villarreal, Policy and Advocacy Associate at the National
Immigration Forum, with comments and suggestions of additional items to
be included. Alexandra can be reached at
[email protected]. Thank you.

 

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